Do you feel different about Zack Kassian than you did a month ago?
Kassian has eight goals on the season, but six have come in his past eight games. The right winger played a season-high 16 minutes, seven seconds on Sunday against the Islanders.
But, as Mr. Jason Botchford (he makes me call him that) so succinctly explains in today’s big paper, Kassian has been a healthy scratch nine times and No. 10 could be right around the next corner, what with Alex Burrows and Nick Bonino getting close to returning to the lineup from injury.
Do you believe that Kassian has found his game? Or do you sell high and move him by Monday’s trade deadline?
Meanwhile, the injury to Ryan Miller means Jacob Markstrom comes up to Vancouver to back up Eddie Lack. Joacim Eriksson becomes the No. 1 man with the Canucks’ AHL farm club, the Utica Comets, but with Joe Cannata — remember him? — injured and unable to come up from the ECHL’s Ontario Reign, the Comets have signed Pat Nagle, according to the Utica Observer-Dispatch.
This will be the fourth AHL team for Nagle this season alone, after pinch-hitting stints with the Lake Erie Monsters, Rochester Americans and Grand Rapids Griffins. He helped Grand Rapids beat Utica 5-1 on Jan. 23.
Here’s his transaction record from eliteprospects.com.
TRANSACTIONS
Meanwhile, it’s hard to mention Markstrom without checking out this classic YouTube clip.
Kuzma’s got a Hat Trick up this morning talking about Mr. Markstrom, Mr. Tanev and his favourite quotes from Mr. Sestito.
The Kuze also has a longer piece, weighing in on the Sestito news.
And since this is game 12 in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final, Tony G has made a little video, asking the audacious question: Can the Panthers catch the Bruins?
AROUND THE NHL
The Canucks are in Boston tonight and if you witness any interesting conversations between Vancouver players and Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask, it could be about insects.
According to the Boston Globe, a team of entomologists, including a longtime Bruins fan, have named a newly discovered wasp in Kenya after Rask — Thaumatodryinus tuukkaraski.
Meanwhile, it’s a couple of days old, but USA Today’s Kevin Allen has a take on what might happen at the trade deadline.
WIDE WORLD OF WEBER
Mauro Rosales should be one of the go-to guys with the Whitecaps this season. (Gerry Kahrmann/ PNG)
Our own Marc Weber has a feature on midfielder Mauro Rosales, who celebrates his 34th birthday.
Young Marc is writing from some exotic locale (OK, Portland), which is what soccer guys do. It also lets him talk about Vikings with goalie coaches.
WIDE WORLD OF WRESTLING
It seems the CM Punk’s split from the WWE is getting nasty. Various reports have Dr. Chris Amann, a WWE doctor, suing Punk (real name: Phil Brooks) for remarks he made on a podcast in November.
WIDE WORLD OF BEAST MODE
Marshawn Lynch is looking to cash in on his Super Bowl media meeting. According to ESPN’s Darren Rovell, Lynch has applied for a trademark on the phrase “I’m just here so I don’t get fined.”
No word yet on whether Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll is looking to trademark, “They were set up for the run, so we decided to pass it on second down at the goal line.”
